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Sunday, June 2, 2013

Review of Maske: Thaery by Jack Vance

I was going to post different review, but hearing of Jack Vance's passing this past week, I've decided to pay a small tribute to the master of the imaginative fantastic by posting a review of one of his novels, instead. Thanks for the stories, Jack.

By the mid ‘70s, Jack Vance had
established himself as an important name in science fiction and fantasy.Having gotten initial forays into pulp out of
the way, he’d reached a strong mid-point in his career.With the unique Blue World, well-developed Emphyrio,
and, if anything else, highly imaginative and entertaining Tchai series under his belt, Vance’s books had found a singularity
of voice that would later be taken to even greater heights in the Cugel saga, Lyonesse, and Cadwal Chronicles.Perhaps the most mature
of this transition period, the author’s 1976 Maske:Thaery deserves more attention than it receives.

Maske:
Thaery
is the story of Jubal Droad.A second
son, Jubal is left to seek gainful employment outside the home upon the death
of his father and the ascendancy of his older brother to the Droad house
seat.The isolated peninsula where they
live, Thaery, dominated by a traditional social structure, House Droad is
viewed by the other Houses as haughty, forthright, and all too lacking in
restraint—character traits Jubal unwittingly exhibits to a T.A slight to his House’s honor occurring while
Jubal is in the wilds one day, the remainder of the book is Jubal’s quest to effect
reprisal, but the form it comes in is not what he inititally hopes.

While this synopsis may seem to present Maske: Thaery as yet another Vance tale
of ingenious revenge a laThe Demon Princes or Lyonesse, rest assured the novel is one of Vance’s more delicate
works.The narrative polished smooth, it
contains every ounce of Vance’s hallmark style, but trades salience for
subtlety in a fashion that interestingly leans more toward realism than the
arch wryness of Cugel or Araminta Station.Jubal deadpanning lines that are spot-on,
it’s low fidelity cannot be stressed enough.

That Vance couples the consistently
smooth prose with theme, however, is what makes Maske:Thaery one of his best.Shoring up two fronts, on one hand Jubal’s story is a coming-of-age.His sense of entitlement and struggles within
the established social and political system not going easily at first, Vance
advances his characters in tiny steps to a higher plane of understanding: some
things simply must be accepted or dealt with in a manner other than forthright
aggression.The other thematic front is
one that does not reveal itself until late in the novel, so it’s best to leave the
details to the reader.Suffice to say,
Vance’s social and cultural concerns—undoubtedly a product of his own
peripatetic ways—remain relevant to this day.If only the solution in the novel existed in reality, many of our ills
could be dealt with in proper fashion.

For those concerned this talk of
so-called literary qualities may in fact damage the novel, fear not.Vance’s imaginative world building, culture
sculpting, scene setting, deft plotting, and sublime observations on the little
things that make humanity tick are present in full quantity from front to
back.Those interested in entertainment
will no doubt shake their head in confusion at the denouement.Everyone else, however, will fully comprehend
the manner in which Vance intertwines the two aforementioned thematic fronts to
produce an atypical yet poignant closing that remains fully the author’s original
style.

In the end, Maske: Thaery is certainly one of the more unique works in Jack
Vance’s oeuvre.Part bildungsroman, part
cautionary, and all story, the master of imaginative science fiction and
fantasy weaves yet another highly readable tale of intergalactic culture and
adventure.Reviving a motif from “The Moon Moth”, hinting at the indignation of Cugel that was to come, and sketching
out a setting that would later be reworked in the Cadwal Chronicles, the novel comes highly recommended for anyone
who enjoys the author. One of many great entry points, no reason not to start
here if you haven’t tried Vance yet.

4 comments:

recently read this great book and although it does stand alone and it's as good as any Vance story, it does finish with a tantilising possibility of further adventure. and thats why I was looking at this review, hoping to find mention of a continuation. such as with the Demon Princes, Cugel and Planet of Adventure. Even the title has the hint of a series as with the Alastor series. I can only hope there is such a book hidden away and waiting to be released.Steve Walsh Tasmania

A few years ago, as you may know, when they released the Vance Integral Edition, included were a small number of never-before published and half-finished stories. Therefore, as much as I hope that they do find just one more unpublished Vance manuscript tucked away in a drawer somewhere, I think the chances are slim to null.

Did some research on Vance quite a few years ago -- interviews, etc. -- and Maske: Thaery WAS conceived as the first book of a trilogy. The publisher didn't think it sold well enough and declined to pick up the option on the following two books. There was no indication of what the next two titles might have been, but my own speculation is that they might have been Maske: Djanad, and Skay ...